The concept of personal selling and the process of implementing it is fundamental in the context of a job search. There are six stages involved in the personal selling process: prospecting, approach, approach, presentation, close, and follow-up (Kotler et al., 2020). Based on my recent job search experience where I used the concept of personal selling, I find the ‘approach’ and ‘presentation’ steps to be the most difficult. They cause the most problems and require a lot of personal preparation. In the context of a job search, the ‘approach’ is seen as the initial screening for the interview, while the presentation is the actual interview.
At the approach stage, a selection process is carried out among candidates, so the main difficulty is to attract the interest of potential employers to me as an employee. In other words, this step represents an opportunity to ‘sell’ one’s services to an employer. In the absence of proper preparation, demonstrating a good approach, and confidence, the employer may reject me as a potential candidate. However, if one successfully passes this step, one is allowed to become a participant in the interview, where the need for a presentation arises, the following problem.
There is an opportunity to meet face-to-face with a potential employer and sell him your skills at the interview. To successfully pass the presentation stage, you must use your accomplishments, practices, and presentation plans. If any of these items do not meet the employer’s expectations, there is a possibility of losing a job opportunity. However, these requirements will also help overcome the barriers to successful interviewing and personal selling in the context of a job search.
Reference
Kotler, P., Armstrong, G., & Opresnik, M. O. (2020). Principles of Marketing (18th ed.). Pearson.